Dr Mohammed Habib El Hila passes away

Professor Dr. Mohamed Habib EL Hila passed away on Thursday. He is a Tunisian National figure in the field of scientific research and cognitive brilliance, He is a summit in creativity and knowledge.

Dr Mohammed Habib El Hila had studied in the famous Tunisian Sadiki School then joined the Zeituna Mosque academy where he had studied and taught there for period of time to join afterwards the Sorbonne University where he received his PH.D on social history in the Near Maghreb (Ifriqiya) in 1976.

As a “Sadiki, Zeituna student and with PH.D from
Sorbonne”, he had spent a remarkable period of his life in academic Researches
in theology and history. He focused his works in the history stages and
components of the Arab Maghreb and Andalusia.

From the mid eighties to the mid nineties of the 20th
century, Dr. Habib El Hila made researches in the history of the holy city of
Mecca which he had taught during that time.

Besides, he made some archieves namely his book
entitled “History and Historians in Mecca from the third to the thirteenth
hegira century”.

Dr Mohamed Habib El Hila grew up in the darkest years of the French occupation for Tunisia, during which most Tunisians where forbidden education and few of them enjoyed its grace, including the prominent professor who carved his scientific path with determination and passion.

Dr Mohamed Habib El Hila is part of a great generation that had endeavoured to build the university edifice with love and honesty during the establishment of the Tunisian state with colleagues eager to conduct success with patience and sacrifices. He had taken part in a trend that managed to push university academic studies towards progress and reached the target of being respectable among the universities worldwide.

It is very hard to follow his biography path through
decades of teaching and exhausting researches, during which he remained loyal
to his noble profession in Tunisia and abroad that earned him respect for his devotion and commitment
and even self-denial.

During his long career, he taught his students the values of tolerance as well as the love of science as he remained committed and loyal to the university values fed by his effort to consecrate the principles of modesty and distinction at the same time, like a few of his generation, who persevered to enhance the Tunisian university.

He was aware that ignorance is a scourge of nations and looking at history carries many lessons and secrets. Throughout his life, he devoted himself writing on social and Islamic history with scientific values.

Dr. Mohamed Habib El Hila donated his personal library including some rare manuscripts of the previous centuries to the National Library of Tunisia.

It was an act of self-denial for the future generations so that they
make the most of these old works and manuscripts of old scholars during the
Islamic era.